


Is Your Cup Half Full or Empty?

by orphan_account



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Artist Clarke Griffin, Barista Bellamy Blake, Bellarke, Don't copy to another site, F/M, Fluff, Minor Mackson, Minor Memori, Modern AU, and a little bit of angst but like not really, artist!Clarke, barista!bellamy, bellamy x clarke, coffee shop AU, they're all a bunch of friends who DONT betray each other, this is just a super cheesy fanfiction i stayed up writing until 4AM, wells jaha is clarke's best friend, wells jaha lives and is a total babe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:54:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23554147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Bellamy Blake loves his job at Arkadia's coffee shop and enjoys working with his friends, but has been feeling like his life has turned mundane and is now running on a daily loop - until a certain blonde becomes a regular.
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 77





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> So I SUCK at summaries, as you have probably already realized, but I really had a lot of fun writing this! I had this idea back in July and tried writing it several times, but it never really worked. But this story is now the result of what happens when you're stuck in self-quarantine and stay up until 4AM because you suddenly get a dose of inspiration whilst binge watching the series on Netflix.  
> I wrote the majority of this while listening to Landon Pigg's "Falling In Love at a Coffee Shop" (the song that inspired this fic in the first place) and "Come out and play" by Billie Eilish (where I got the title from!)  
> \- sorry if the characters seem a bit OC ... it's interesting writing these characters who are normally fighting for their lives in that show, in a modern au where they can actually be happy -  
> enjoy this insanely fluffy fic! ~

Bellamy yawned as he swung the keys around his finger and unlocked the doors to the coffee shop. It was 5:30 in the morning, and rather than sleeping in on what was meant to be his day off, he stepped up to cover a shift for his coworker and friend, Nathan Miller.

“You owe me big time, Miller,” Bellamy yawned to himself as he unlocked the door, the little bell above the door chiming gleefully despite the early hour as he walked in. He set to work turning on the lights and oven, opening the cafe bar, setting up the patio outside, and tidying up the mess that the closing shift team left behind ( _Bellamy suspected Jasper, who was more than likely eager to close the shop so he could see his girlfriend, Maya_ ). Once the familiar hum of the machinery sounded and the lights were heating up, Bellamy felt the tension leave his body; he loved working at the coffee shop - while it wasn’t originally his first choice, he was now glad he decided to take up Kane on the offer. All the routines and standards now came easy to him, and he enjoyed being able to work alongside others, and he also occasionally got to see his little sister when she’d come in to grab a coffee while on her way to class.

As soon as the clock ticked at 6:00, Bellamy threw on his apron and name tag, readjusted the glasses that slipped down his nose, and flipped the little sign on the door from ‘ _sorry, we’re closed,’_ to ‘ _come on in, we’re open!’_ and not too long after, Arkadia was thriving with the early birds desperate for their coffees and lattes. He set to work and genuinely enjoyed chatting with the customers as he took their orders and made their drinks. Just before 7:00 when the usual morning rush hits, his co-workers that were supposed to be there when the store opened, Raven and Monty rushed in; Raven hastily tied her long chestnut brown hair into a ponytail while Monty threw on an apron.

“Sorry, Blake. Late night at the shop, didn’t hear my alarm go off -” The mechanic ranted as she threw on an apron. 

“-and she was my ride,” Monty piped in.

He cut off their rambling with a warm smile and held out a cup that was waiting for a drink to be made in. “Don’t worry, I’ve managed well on my own. Ye of little faith,” Raven snorted and went to the bar to make the coffees with Monty while Bellamy took more of the guests' orders. The three of them set a good pace and had a functional rhythm going, and suddenly the morning rush was over and they were left tidying up and preparing for the rest of the day. While the three of them worked together, and laughed as Monty tried making new recipe drinks that didn’t quite turn out, Bellamy felt his heart swell. After growing up the way he did with his sister and all their struggles with finances, he was grateful to finally be at a fairly stable place, financially speaking and working a job he grew to love.

However, he couldn’t help but feel _stuck._ It felt as if his life was now running through a constant loop: _wake up, serve coffee, go home, sleep and repeat_ or _wake up, do nothing for a few hours, serve coffee, go home, sleep and repeat_ with the occasional covering shifts for someone or going out for drinks. He was beyond thankful that he had a safe and steady job that didn’t make O worry about him all the time, but he still wanted something _more_ to make his seemingly dull life routine more exciting. 

With a sigh he rubbed his hand over his eyes before returning to take the next guests’ order, unaware that the _more_ he’d been yearning for had just arrived in the form of a certain blonde haired angel that had joined the line.

* * *

Clarke walked into the coffee shop, her heavy backpack weighing her down while she balanced her laptop and notebooks in her arms. She found an empty table by the window near the front door, and plopped her stuff down before walking to the back of the line, waiting for some much needed caffeine that midterm season required. 

When it came to her turn, she pried her eyes away from the drinks menu ( _even though she already knew what she wanted to order long before even looking, but felt like she needed something to do as she stood there_ ), and stepped forward.

“Hi, I’ll just have a medium chai latte with almond milk, please,” Clarke smiled at the barista, and nearly fell short of her words when she finally pried her eyes away from the menu and saw how utterly _attractive_ he was. She had to pinch her index finger to her thumb to fall back to earth before she made a fool of herself.

“You’ve got it. For here or to go?” The barista asked.

“Here, thanks,” She gave him her name to call out and paid for her drink, then moved back to her table and unpacked everything she needed while she waited for her latte. She was flipping through her biochemistry textbook, unaware that her drink was done and waiting for her at the counter. She hadn’t noticed until the same brown haired barista walked over to her, gently placing the cup on the table. 

“Didn’t want it to get cold,” He smiled kindly at her, and she felt her heart beat a little faster. 

“Oh, thanks! I didn’t even realize it was ready,” She scoffed at herself. ‘ _Get a grip, Griffin.’_

“Don’t worry about it,” He winked (‘ _fuck,’)_ and walked back to the counter, where two others behind the counter that looked roughly her age were looking at him smugly. Not thinking anything of it, she turned her attention back to her studies and forced herself to keep it there.

She wasn’t aware of how much time had passed and that many other guests had already come and gone, until she looked at her watch, and realized two hours had flown by. Deciding to give her mind a break, she snapped her laptop and textbooks closed and pulled out her sketchbook and pencils. 

Clarke loved art - _that_ was her passion. She was studying pre-med to make her mother, a well known and successful doctor in Polis, pleased but if she were being honest with herself, she would much rather be attending art school full time.

Her best friend Wells had been encouraging her to come clean to her mother, to tell her the truth: that she had secretly been taking some art classes at a local art school while continuing her pre-med studies. Either that, or he suggested that she just drop pre-med all together and take on art full-time, because she was “ _clearly miserable,”_ which she was, but she would never admit. If Clarke Griffin was _anything_ , it was stubborn. However, she stuck with juggling both, because while she and her mom weren’t exactly on the best terms since her father had passed away, she still didn’t want to disappoint her. 

She pushed her academic studies to the side, and allowed her mind to go blank as she lightly dragged her pencil along the paper, sketching any and every image her mind conjured up. _This_ was what she loved, what freed her. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy medicine, or that she didn’t want to help people - she did, she honestly did, and she was good at it. But medicine wasn’t her calling, no matter how much she found it interesting ( _and incredibly stressful),_ it was art that calmed her and freed her soul.

For the next thirty minutes (she set a timer, because while she wanted to keep sketching, she _did_ have midterms to study for, after all), she was entranced in her imagination and pulled out colored pencil to add more of a creative pop to her art.

She was so lost in her own paradise, that she didn’t realize she had also captivated the barista that was watching her work with wonder out of the corner of his eye. 

* * *

“Dude, _go up there,_ ” Bellamy was snapped out of the trance when Monty elbowed him. 

“No,” He shook his head, readjusting his round glasses again - _a nervous habit, really -_ and focused back on his current task of wiping the counters with a little more force than necessary. “No way.”

“Why not?” Raven, who was clearly eavesdropping as she swept the front, asked as she leaned onto the counter by the bar. “She’s hot.”

“ _Shh,”_ He hissed, but without malice, and his friends chuckled. “Shut _up,_ you guys.”

When they went back to doing their own thing, Bellamy carefully turned his attention back to the beautiful woman that had captured his attention when she had first stepped forward to order her coffee earlier that afternoon. If her smile wasn’t enchanting enough, seeing her eyes light up as she pulled out her sketchbook, certainly was. Her pencil danced across the page with ease, and a small smile tugged on her lips, causing one to shadow onto his as well. Everything about her was enthralling, and he didn’t even know her.

Even long after she had left when the sun had begun to set, and even after he had closed the shop, he remained captivated by the blonde. He went home, both exhausted from the long day, and hoping that he would see her again.

When she came back the next day, he hadn’t realized the bright smile that had placed itself subconsciously on his lips.

  
  



	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and now time for the real fun to begin   
> this chapter was so fun to write

Even after her midterms were done, Clarke continued going to Arkadia. Most of the time, the same barista ( _ she eyed his name tag by the third time she went, and saw that his name was ‘Bellamy,’) _ was there. On the days he wasn’t, she ignored the pit that would fall in her stomach, telling herself that it was only because he was a familiar, friendly face, but she wouldn’t stay there for as long as she would have if he were there. 

On the anniversary of her going to the same coffee shop for three weeks, she was sitting at the table that she had claimed as hers by the window near the front door, and was not surprised when Bellamy walked up to her with a fresh pot of coffee. He did this most days, after a little while when the shop was nearly empty and her coffee mug -  _ if her nonexistent sleep schedule called for something a little more demanding than an almond milk chai latte _ \- was getting close to empty, he would walk up and pour her more coffee with a not-so-subtle wink.

“What exactly  _ are  _ you studying?” He asked as he refilled her mug. Despite the fact that she had been going to the place for nearly a month and they always shared flirty smiles and quick small talk, he had never actually asked what she was doing. “I always see you in here with your books.”

“Oh, um,” She shook her head to get her mind back in focus when she was caught off guard by the question. “I’m doing pre-med right now.”

“That’s hard stuff,” He whistled, raising his eyebrows, impressed.

“Eh, I can handle it. I love a challenge,” She smiled.

“I’m sure,” He smirked playfully.

Feeling a blush rise in her cheeks, she cleared her throat and held out her hand, “I don’t think we’ve actually met. I’m Clarke.”

“I know, I make you coffee almost every day,” He teased but she saw the color rise in his cheeks as well, as he grasped her hand. “I’m Bellamy.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Bellamy replied with a hint of sarcasm as he rolled his eyes at the formality, and she was drawn to his irresistible dark eyes that were behind his thick round glasses ( _ ‘it should be illegal to look that good in glasses’).  _ “How come you come here all the time? Not that I’m complaining, I mean you  _ are  _ practically single-handedly keeping us in business.”

Clarke laughed, and she saw how Bellamy’s eyes lit up at the sound, “I like the service.”

He grinned broadly at that and opened his mouth to say something back, when the door opened and the belle ringed. “I should get back to it,” He frowned slightly, obviously put out.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be around,” Clarke smiled - something she found herself doing constantly around him.

“I’d hope so,” He mirrored her smile and winked again before turning away, and Clarke felt her heart beat a little faster before she forced herself once again to focus on her studies rather than his enticing brown eyes.

* * *

Miller, Monty and Raven were smirking at him when Bellamy returned to the counter.

“What? I can’t serve people coffee now?” He retorted before his friends could open their mouths. “Don’t,” He playfully snapped when Miller looked at him smugly.

He held his hands up, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, “I wasn’t going to say anything, man.”

“Hey lovefool,” Raven called from the bar, loud enough for Bellamy to catch but not loud enough for Clarke to hear from where she was sitting. “Heads up, we’ve got company.”

Bellamy turned his attention back to the register, and saw the couple that was scanning over the menu. He went back to work, taking the guests’ coffee orders with Monty, while Raven and Miller made the drinks at the bar. Every once in a while, he’d look over to Clarke’s table through his peripheral vision to see her grinding through her studies, or carelessly drawing something in her sketchbook. And not for the first time, he had wondered what exactly she was drawing. When the rush of orders had finally settled down, his manager Kane asked Bellamy to do some work in the back, and he begrudgingly obliged, knowing Clarke might be gone by the time he finished, leaving without their usual wave goodnight. However, when he finished the tasks Kane asked him to do and went back to the front, he was pleasantly surprised to see that she was still there. 

Raven and Monty finished their shifts a few hours before closing, and Kane followed soon after to go to a council meeting, leaving Miller and Bellamy behind to close the shop. Eventually, it was just Bellamy because Miller had a date with Jackson that night; at first, Miller had been reluctant to leave early, but aside from Clarke, there were barely any guests, it was one of their slower nights, and Bellamy had threatened to kick him out the door so he could have some time with his boyfriend. 

Bellamy swept and mopped the floors, wiped the counters, and did the other closing tasks. Not wanting to bother Clarke right away and boot her out - it wasn’t like she was a complete stranger, even if it was  _ technically  _ against protocol, he was always known to be one to break the rules - he simply flipped the sign to ‘ _ sorry, we’re closed!’  _ when she finally looked up from her textbook and took out her headphones.

“Shit, are you closed now?” She hastily grabbed her backpack off the ground by her feet, and started to throw her supplies in. “I’ll get out of your way-”

“Clarke, it’s  _ okay,”  _ Bellamy assured her, a small smile forming on his lips. “Besides I like the company.”

“Is this allowed? A guest staying behind after closing?” She lifted an eyebrow.

“No,” He admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. “But it’s fine, I’m close with my boss and he wouldn’t care. It’s not like you’re an insane person, or anything.” 

Clarke laughed, “Fair enough.”

“And besides, I’m not about to kick a beautiful woman onto the streets in the dark and pouring rain,” Bellamy saw her face turn bright pink at his subtle compliment. 

“Wow, I bet you say that to all the pretty girls,” She snorted.

“Nah, just the ones I actually like,” He retorted back, and she chuckled softly. “Do you want another cup of anything before I shut everything? It’s on the house.”

She was about to protest, but he gave her a look that told her he was serious, and sighed, “Another cup of coffee would be nice.”

He brought a coffee pot to her table, sitting down and pouring them both a cup. “So, pre-med?” Bellamy said, starting the small talk. “That’s a lot. What inspired you to do that?”

“My mother, mostly,” Clarke shrugged, and he looked at her curiously. She cleared her throat awkwardly, taking another sip of her coffee as he saw her clearly contemplating whether or not she should tell him more. After she put her mug down, she sighed, “She’s a doctor. Really good at her job, and she wants me to follow in her footsteps, I guess.”

“Do  _ you  _ want to?” Bellamy questioned and she shrugged.

“It’s not  _ bad.  _ I mean, it’s a lot, but I just don’t want to let her down, you know?” Clarke ran her hand through her short blonde hair that barely touched her shoulders, and leaned back in her seat before she continued speaking. “Though I’d rather go to school for art than medicine, to be honest.”

Bellamy hummed in response, his cup to his lips. He put it down and nodded, “I see you drawing all the time here. You gonna do anything with it?”

“I’d like to, but medicine is  _ kinda  _ a big deal and takes up almost all my time, and I’m only taking pre-med…” She sighed again, but this time it sounded more upset. “My mom doesn’t know this, but I am taking a couple art classes.”

“Really?” Bellamy grinned proudly. “Good for you.”

She smiled, and played with her cup nervously in her hands, “My friend Wells wants me to drop pre-med. He thinks I should do what makes me the most happy.”

He felt a small flare of jealousy, but pushed it down. He had no right to be jealous, “Wells is a smart man.”

“He just wants what’s best for me.”

“You two close?” He couldn’t resist asking.

“Yeah, he’s been my best friend since we were just kids,” She smiled, but there was a suspicious glint in her eye. “What about you?”

“What about me?” He asked, taking another gulp of coffee. 

“I’ve been talking about myself for the last five minutes, tell me about you,” Clarke put her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. She gave him an encouraging smile when he didn’t say anything for a moment, and he thought about how he’d rather hear her speak.

“Alright, um,” Bellamy cleared his throat. “What do you want to know?”

Clarke shrugged, “Anything you want.”

“Okay, well I have a little sister. Octavia. She’s the biggest pain in the ass,” She laughed, and he embraced the sound. “But I love her. She’s learning cultural studies right now in college, and she’s dating this man Lincoln, who-”

“Bellamy,” Clarke interrupted. “Tell me  _ your  _ story, Octavia’s later. Right now, I want to hear about you. What are  _ your  _ interests, have you studied anything?”

Bellamy was taken aback for a second. He rarely talks about his life to others, except for his friends who already knew everything about him. He looked at her with wonder, before smiling, though the smile fell from his lips as he began talking, “I haven’t gone back to school. Couldn’t afford to. I’d like to go back and study history, but school is expensive, and life is already expensive enough as it is. I  _ was  _ going to pull out some student loans and go for it, but that wasn’t really possible,” Clarke looked at him, her eyebrows knitted together, and with a sigh, he explained further, “Our mom passed away a year after I graduated high school, dad was never in the picture, so it was just O and I.”

“I’m sorry,” Clarke looked horrified.

Bellamy shrugged his shoulders sadly, “It was a long time ago. I worked two jobs to help us out, saved enough up for O to go to school with some scholarships she got, and eventually I ended up here.”

“‘Ended up here?’” She questioned, raising a curious eyebrow and he opened his mouth to explain but he hesitated and the words fell short. Clarke must’ve noticed, because her eyes softened and she changed her stance, “You don’t have to share anything you’re not comfortable with. And this  _ is  _ the first time we’ve had a long conversation, so don’t feel pressured-”

This time he interrupted, “I trust you. I barely know you, but you’re easy to talk to. I want to tell you, but I don’t want you to be overwhelmed.” 

Clarke leaned back in her seat again, “Try me.”

Bellamy quickly smiled at her stubborn confidence, but his smile fell again as he continued, “I got in some trouble when I was still in school. Got mixed into the wrong crowd, which is kinda normal for some teenagers, but it got bad in my junior year when an opportunity came up.”

“What kind of opportunity?” Clarke asked carefully, encouraging him to go on.

“Fighting,” He half expected her to gasp, look uncomfortable or even to get up and leave, but she didn’t. She just sat there, listening to him with an understanding look in her eyes.  _ She wasn’t judging him.  _ “I was good at it, too. Octavia didn’t like it, but I got some money out of it, so I kept doing it that year. I was seventeen, dumb, angry and full of angst,” He couldn’t help himself, wanting to break some of the tension, and it worked because she let out a soft chuckle. “My mom was stressed enough with work herself, and here was this chance to make something in secret. So, I did it. Mom never knew, O found out through some people at school, but she kept it to herself after  _ hours  _ of convincing her, but she still worried.”

Bellamy exhaled deeply before continuing, “There was one fight though, and it got nasty. I went home that night with a bloody nose, a cracked rib, bruised knuckles and more bruises than usual and O lost it and told our mom. She was so scared for me, and I  _ hated  _ seeing her like that; I was doing it for her, but she didn’t want me to. My mom didn’t say anything when she bandaged me up; I was expecting her to blow up at me, but she was  _ silent,  _ which was definitely worse. I remember her helping me into bed, and then she talked to me. Next day, she went to the Principal's office to wreak havoc,” he chuckled empty heartedly, “The crowd got split up, I was in deep shit and had to transfer schools for my senior year, but it all worked out in the end and I straightened myself out.”

“My boss knew my mom, and after she passed away, he offered me a job here,” He continued. “And so, now here I am. It’s definitely a different change of pace than where seventeen year old me was at, but it’s safe, and there’s benefits. And if nothing else, I get free coffee out of it,” He joked halfheartedly. 

“Bellamy,” Clarke gulped and nervously scratched her eyebrow. “I … That’s a lot to go through.”

“I can handle it,” He echoed her words from earlier that day. “I love a challenge.”

She gave him a half smile, but he could see the gears working in her head as she digested everything he told her. He wasn’t planning on telling her his life story that night, but he figured that if he wanted  _ something  _ to happen between them, he wanted it to be longer than one night, and he figured that if this doesn’t scare her off, then she’s definitely worth sharing his uncomfortable past to. 

“How long have you been working here for now?” She asked after a moment.

“About three and a half years,” He replied. 

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-four. You?”

“Twenty,” He saw her eyes calculating something again, but he knew it wasn’t about their slight age gap, yet she didn’t say anything.

Not wanting to push her, he looked at his watch and saw the time. They had been sitting there talking for nearly forty minutes. “Shit, it’s late. I didn’t realize what time it was-” 

“Bellamy, it’s  _ okay, _ ” Clarke echoed his words this time, and he smiled.

“It’s pretty dark out,” He noted. “Let me walk you to your car?”

“I can take care of myself,” She said defensively.

“I never said that,” He threw his hands up. “But what kind of person would I be to make you walk in the dark rain to your car, alone?”

She sighed, but rolled her eyes playfully, “Alright. Thank you,” She added seriously.

He smiled, stood up and cleaned the pot and cups quickly while Clarke finished packing the last of her stuff. They tugged on their jackets and stepped outside, Bellamy locked the door and they walked under her umbrella down the street to her car. Bellamy walked with a heavy heart, knowing this might be the last time he sees her - he was still half expecting her to hop in her car, drive away and never come back after hearing his story. When they reached it, she unlocked it but before going in, she offered him her umbrella but he kindly said no.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Clarke asked, and Bellamy almost didn’t hear her, he was so lost in his thoughts. 

“Yeah,” He smiled broadly, feeling relief and something else he couldn’t quite describe, replacing the sorrow his heart was preparing itself for. “Yeah, of course.”

“Good night, Bellamy” She waved before she jumped in her car to escape the rain.

“G’night,” He said dazedly, his heart feeling lighter as it thumped happily in his chest. 

* * *

She was there the next day, and the day after that too, and he was pleased that she hadn’t been scared off from him opening up about his past. He could see she was strong and open minded, and he couldn’t have been happier that she decided to keep coming. However, a couple days after that late night, Bellamy was gloomily cleaning up the bar.

“Gee, what’s with the long face, downer?” Raven asked him, elbowing him to wake him out of his miserable trance. He didn’t say anything but Monty nodded his head over to Clarke’s table where there was a dark skinned man sitting with her, and they were  _ laughing.  _ “Oh.”

“Sorry man,” Miller patted his back, but Bellamy simply shrugged.

When Clarke and the man walked up to the counter to order their drinks, Monty went to take the order to spare Bellamy. However, Miller had gone to the back to work on something, and Raven was occupied with something else, which meant he still had to make the drinks which was fine,  _ Clarke would probably want to talk to whoever she was with anyway.  _

“Hey Bellamy,” Clarke spoke up when they walked over to the bar where he was making their drinks. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” He said shortly, and cleared his throat uncomfortably.

“Wells, this is Bellamy. Bellamy, Wells,” Clarke motioned between Bellamy and her friend, and he mentally kicked himself.  _ This was Wells, the childhood friend she’s been telling him about.  _ He suddenly remembered hearing her tell him about how Wells was coming to visit from Tondc (where he was studying law) for a few days, but he hadn’t realized it was going to be so soon. He felt like a fool for feeling jealous, and reached his hand out as he set Wells’ drink on the counter.

“Hey man. Uh, nice to meet you,” He offered a small smile.

“Likewise,” Wells smiled back, and Bellamy couldn’t help but think back to his and Clarke’s conversation just barely a week ago. She must’ve remembered too, because when he caught her eye, they were both holding back a chuckle, which Wells immediately caught on to. “What?”

“Nothing,” Clarke laughed, pushing Wells back towards their table while looking back at Bellamy. “I’ll catch you later!”

“Yeah,” Bellamy breathed out, his heart pounding.

“So who’s Wells?” Raven, ever the eavesdropper, asked and wiggled her eyebrows.

* * *

“So,” Wells emphasized as they sat back down in their seats. “That’s Bellamy.”

Clarke laughed softly, “Yeah. That’s Bellamy.”

“He’s not as attractive as you described,” Wells feigned disappointment. “He’s even hotter.”

She laughed loudly this time, clutching her stomach. Clarke and Wells phone each other as often as they can, and lately she had been telling her friend about Bellamy.

“Not going to lie, I’m surprised you’re okay with this.”

“I’m not,” Wells admitted. “In my eyes, no man is ever gonna be good enough for you. But I just want you to be happy, and if he makes you happy, then I approve.”

“Nothing’s even happened yet,” Clarke pointed out.

“I have a feeling  _ something  _ will,” He shimmied his shoulders smugly, wiggling his eyebrows and drank his coffee, sticking his little finger out. Clarke rolled her eyes at him, laughing at his obvious attempt to make her laugh - which worked. “I’m serious though, Clarke. Did you  _ see  _ the way he looked at you?”

“So far, even our platonic relationship hasn’t even extended from this coffee shop yet,” She sighed, a hint of disappointment sounding through.

“Exactly -  _ yet.  _ And besides, that’s not entirely true, from what you’ve told me, he walked you to your car the other night,” Clarke laughed again. “That’s  _ something!”  _ He teased.

After her laughter died down, she lightly kicked his foot under the table, “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” Wells grabbed her hand, squeezing it in a friendly manner. “Oh, by the way, guess what I found a couple days ago,” He said after a moment, bending down to reach for something in his backpack.

“What?” She eyed his backpack curiously. 

“Boom,” He lightly slapped an old chessboard onto the table.

“Oh, my god! Is that-” Clarke cut herself off, running her fingers across the board where in bold letters it read “ _ Property of Wells Jaha _ .” The board itself was old and worn out from it’s overuse; when they were kids, the two of them played all the time.

“I was digging around looking for something for my dad and I found it,” He smiled and pulled out the small container that held the game pieces. “Wanna go a few rounds?”

“Only if you’re ready to lose,” Clarke challenged. Wells laughed, and Clarke felt her heart swell with friendly affection, glad to be with someone that knew everything about her, and cared for her. 

Even though she was enjoying her time with her best friend -  _ both kicking his ass at chess and getting her ass handed to her  _ \- she couldn’t help but glance over at Bellamy every now and then, seeing him talk to his co-workers, who he seemed close to, and laughing with them in between their work. She stopped looking over when Bellamy glanced her way and caught her, their eyes connecting for a quick moment. However, even after she looked away and acted like she was very focused on her next move in chess, she could feel his eyes on her, making her blush despite herself. It didn’t make her uncomfortable like it would have if it were someone else, but this was  _ Bellamy,  _ someone she’s come to know more as her friend rather than a barista lately - _ someone she trusted.  _

* * *

“Dude,  _ go up there! _ ” Miller elbowed him, urging him again for the second time in the last two weeks to go to Clarke. 

Nearly a week after Bellamy met Wells, Bellamy was debating whether or not he thought it was time to ask Clarke out. He didn’t know  _ why  _ he was so nervous - it’s not like he’s ever had trouble with women in the past, but then again, this was different. This was  _ Clarke _ .

“Just leave it be, Nate,” Bellamy grumbled, pouring himself a cup of coffee so he could retreat to the back and go on his break.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Monty, who had just come back from a break himself, overheard and blocked Bellamy’s way out of the bar with a smug smile. “Come on, man. I don’t see why this is such a big deal!”

“It’s cause Loverboy here has the hots for the Princess,” Murphy, Raven’s friend who came in every once and awhile, and would go out for drinks with them, was sitting on a stool at the bar, doing what he does best - mocking and annoying the shit out of Bellamy.

“Shut up,” Bellamy feigned a glowering glare at him, but if he was telling the truth, he  _ did  _ enjoy his company - even when he was being obnoxious. 

“Come on, Blake,” Emori, Murphy’s girlfriend, encouraged him. “What’s the worst that could possibly happen? Actually don’t answer that.”

Raven, who had the day off, but dropped in with Murphy and Emori, decided to throw in her two cents, “Yeah, stop being a little bitch and get out there!”

“Watch it!”

“I don’t think I’ve  _ ever  _ seen Bellamy Blake get cold feet,” Miller laughed.

Bellamy, both fed up with his friends’ teasing and finally gathering enough courage to  _ not  _ look like a fool in front of Clarke, grabbed a pot of fresh coffee and walked around the counter with a determination set in his eyes; his friends silently jumped and cheered, and he rolled his eyes, a smile forming on his lips at their encouragement. 

He walked up to Clarke’s table, and when she saw him approaching, she took out her headphones.

“Hey Bellamy,” She smiled widely, and Bellamy forgot how to speak as his words got caught in his throat. She noticed his nervousness, and her eyebrows pinched together, “Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Bellamy shook his head, blinking rapidly and snapped out of it, “Yeah, I’m good, uh, how are you?”  _ God, what was he, fourteen?  _

_ ‘Get it together, Bellamy,’  _ He mentally scolded himself, cringing at the awkward small talk and he didn’t have to look over at his friends - who he knew were watching him - to know they were cringing as well.

“I’m good,” She trailed off, obviously letting him step up and say something to avenge himself.

“Hey, uh,” He ran his hands through his curls anxiously, before exhaling and trying again, “How would you feel about going out sometime?”

Clarke froze in her seat, “Out, as in -?”

“Dinner,” Bellamy said, more confidently this time. “Would you like to go for dinner with me?”

For one absolutely terrifying moment that felt like forever, Clarke stared up at him, her eyes wide and he was certain she was going to reject him. And if she did decide to reject him, he would respect that, but  _ God, he really hoped she didn’t.  _ He wanted to see if this thing, this connection he felt with her could turn out to  _ be  _ something.

His heart melted with her blinding smile that made her blue eyes sparkle, “I would love that.”

“Really?” He breathed out, a large grin plastered on his face. 

“Yeah, really,” She said in a teasing tone, and he chuckled in both relief and excitement.

“Alright, great,” He tried to hide his excitement, but clearly failed because she looked at him, her eyes still wide but a hint of amusement in them. “When-”

“I can do Friday?” She offered, interrupting him and sparing him from his nerves.

“Friday,” He nodded. “I’ll pick you up at 8:00?”

“Works for me,” The little over the door chimed, and he took that as an opportunity to ‘go back to work’ before he made a fool of himself, so she ripped off the corner of a piece of paper from her notebook and scribbled something down on it before handing it to him. “I should probably let you go back to work, but here’s my number.”

_ ‘Smooth, Griffin,’  _ Bellamy chuckled and was about to say goodbye when he remembered another reason he had gone up to her.

“Nearly forgot to refill your mug,” He scoffed. “I’ve been doing this for how long now?”

She laughed and the sound made his heart leap, causing him to accidentally bump her mug over, coffee spilling onto the table and on her lap.

“ _ Fuck! _ ” He cursed loudly, not even realizing he said it out loud until he looked over at the front counter where the guest that was ordering her drink looked over at him judgmentally. He helped Clarke grab her textbooks and laptop which were thankfully untouched by the coffee, off the table but her pants were now wet with coffee. “I’m sorry, I’ll go get a cloth-” He walked up the bar where Monty, who was holding back laughter, was already holding a damp rag ready for him. He went back and offered her the cloth to her.

“It’s alright, seriously,” Clarke didn’t seem at all upset. Instead, she continued to laugh, “They’re black pants, you won’t even be able to tell once it dries!” 

“I swear I’m not normally like this,” He ran his hand through his hair again in embarrassment.

“Wow, do I make you  _ nervous,  _ Bellamy?” She challenged him in a teasing tone, which made his spirits lift a little higher.

“Can you really blame me?” He countered and her cheeks that were already tainted pink from her laughter, blushed a little brighter. 

Bellamy wiped the table clean, slipped the paper with her number in his pocket, and went back to work after he promised to text her later. He walked back behind the counter and towards the bar, his face red. Miller and Raven stared at him in bewilderment, Monty and Emori were desperately trying to hold back their laughter and Murphy gave him a sarcastic thumbs up.

“Real smooth, man.”

“Oh, shut up.”


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things:  
> \- I made Wells and Monty homosexual in this fic. Don't ask me why, it's just a crackship I've always had. I've always imagined Wells and Monty to both be bi, and I loveee Harper so much but it just worked for me and this fic ~  
> \- I had trouble writing the second part of this chapter, but I hope y'all enjoy it nevertheless!

Late Friday afternoon, Clarke face timed with Wells as she got ready, throwing outfit ideas onto her bed as she scavenged through the closet.

“I don’t know what to wear,” She groaned and plopped onto her bed while Wells chuckled on the other side of the line.

“Where are you going again?” 

“Dinner,” Clarke opened her closet. “Not sure where though, he said it was a surprise.”

“So dramatic,” They both chuckled.

“I’ve never been this nervous for a date before, not even with Finn. Mm, actually maybe with Lexa but look where that got me.” 

“Hey, don’t think like that,” Wells said sternly, sympathy edging its way into his voice; she knew that if he were there with her, he’d grip her shoulders in reassurement and maybe shake some sense into her. “This is going to be different.”

“How?” Clarke rubbed at her eyes.

“Well for starters, you didn’t sleep with him before deciding to go on a date like how it went with Finn-”

“Oh shut up,” She tried to sound annoyed, but couldn’t contain her laughter, knowing he wasn’t trying to offend her. Only her best friend Wells could manage to make her laugh over her sad past relationships.

“I am serious though, Clarke. I know you haven’t had the best luck with relationships, and I know I don’t know Bellamy like you do, but he seemed like a good person from what I’ve seen.”

Clarke sighed, “You think he’s good, though?”

“Clarke, I get that you’re nervous, and you have every right to be, but just give this a shot. Do you like him?”

“I do,” Clarke sat up so she was leaning on her elbows. “I really do, and that’s the problem. I mean, what if the date doesn’t go well?”

“Then you don’t have to go on a second one with him. At least you’ll find out if he’s the right person for you in more of a healthy way than the way things ended with Finn, or even Lexa.”

Clarke sighed and fell back onto the bed. She wanted to go on this date with Bellamy, she was excited about it and had been looking forward to it all week long - but now that the day was here, her nerves were attacking her. Wells gave her a sad, small smile before clearing his throat and waving at her from the other side of the screen, “Okay, now get your butt off your bed and let’s get ready,” Clarke laughed, yet rolled over again so her face was buried in her pillows and groaned dramatically. “Stop being such a drama queen, this is a first date with a man you like, it’s not the end of the world or anything!” 

Twenty minutes later, after Wells had threatened to do the hour drive from Tondc, Clarke got off the bed and he helped her pick out an outfit. She was wearing a simple navy blue dress, and began curling her hair. Clarke applied light makeup onto her eyes before putting everything down and looking at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. 

“Verdict?” Clarke looked at Wells’ face on her screen.

“Clarke, you look  _ gorgeous  _ with or without the dress and make up _ ,”  _ He encouraged, and she sighed, smiling at her friend. A minute later, a knock came from the front door and Clarke felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter again. 

“Here we go,” Clarke let out a nervous breath. 

“Here we go,” Wells echoed. “You got this, now go out there and have some fun.”

“Love you!” She waved at him and he mirrored her before she hung up the call and walked to her apartment door.

Clarke exhaled deeply before reaching for the door handle. Her stomach rolled in anticipation; she cared about Bellamy, and genuinely wanted to go on this date with him, but she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Before she could impulsively back out, she opened the door to a smiling Bellamy.

* * *

The moment that the door swung open, Bellamy Blake was breathless. 

_ There were no words to even begin to describe Clarke Griffin.  _

“Hi,” She smiled nervously.

Bellamy looked at her with wide eyes, “You look  _ beautiful _ , Clarke,” She blushed, her eyes falling to the ground to try and hide it. “I mean, you always do, but-” He cut himself off nervously, his heart pounding.

“Thank you,” Clarke grinned, her eyes sparkling as she took in his black dress pants and dark blue shirt. “You clean up pretty nicely, too.”

“I try,” She scoffed playfully, and he let out a relieved chuckle, glad that the tension for the most part seemed to be broken. He held out a small bouquet of flowers he had bought (with the help of Octavia and Lincoln), and she smiled in thanks before walking into her apartment, inviting him to step inside while she put the flowers in a vase. He looked around the cozy loft, smiling at the little details that were indescribingly  _ Clarke _ \- the bookshelf that contained plenty of noticeable history and medical books, photos of her and Wells and what must be her family lined the walls, a record player sat on a small table by the bookshelf, and there was an art easel in the corner of the room by the window where bottles of paint lined the sill.

“Ready to go?” Clarke walked up to him, and he snapped back into reality.

“Uh, yeah,” He smiled, looking around the apartment again. “Nice place you’ve got here.”

“It’s not much,” Clarke shrugged. “But it’s home.”

He understood that completely.

Bellamy offered her his arm, which she hesitantly took after a moment, a small smile painted on her lips. They walked out of her apartment and down to his truck, where he opened her door for her, something his mother had told him was “ _ what a gentleman did, _ ” before he hopped into the drivers’ seat. They drove in a semi-awkward silence for a couple minutes, the radio playing soft rock music in the background. Bellamy began to grow nervous, wondering if maybe she was uncomfortable or having second thoughts or if it was just him being anxious. 

It still surprised him how he was so nervous about this date - he never had any problem with women in the past. Although Clarke wasn’t just  _ any  _ woman, she was someone he could actually see himself with. She was someone he wanted to get to know better, someone who challenged him and intrigued him. 

Not before long, he pulled up to the fancy new restaurant that Eric suggested, and looked for parking. 

“I’ve never been here before,” Clarke said as they stepped out of the truck.

“Miller’s boyfriend recommended it to me,” Bellamy had to stop himself from subconsciously nudging his glasses - which he left at home - up his nose. “Hope it’s okay?”

“It looks good to me,” She assured him with a smile and he internally thanked Eric. 

They went inside and were seated at the table Bellamy had called in and reserved for them. They ordered some wine, and began scavenging the menus. They exchanged simple small talk as they eyed different options on the menu, but Bellamy knew that something felt off. Maybe it was because this was his first  _ real  _ date since Gina, and that he felt out of his element, but he felt like this date wasn’t exactly going as well as he thought it would.

But when he looked up from his menu - which he wasn’t  _ really  _ reading since he could barely focus - and glanced at Clarke, he could see she was also fidgeting in her seat as well, though she didn’t look uncomfortable to be there, just nervous like him, and that was when an idea sparked.

“Yeah, this isn’t going to work,” He began to fish his wallet out of his pocket and Clarke’s eyes looked at him startled. “Why don’t we ditch this place, go somewhere our own style?”

Relief swarmed in her eyes as she caught onto what he was suggesting, “Let’s do it.”

He left some cash on the table for the bottle of wine they took with them, and left before the waiter returned to take their orders. Bellamy offered her his arm again as a mocking gesture to the formal environment, and Clarke took it gladly, laughing as they ran through the lobby.

“Where else did you have in mind?” Clarke asked as they reached his truck.

“I have a few ideas, but would you like?”

“There’s this Thai restaurant just down the road, a couple blocks. They do take out, too.”

“The one across from Sinclaire’s?” 

“That’s the one.”

“I love that place,” Bellamy felt a smile tugging on the corners of his lips, and he pulled the truck out from the parking spot. “Raven works at Arkadia part time, she’s a mechanic at Sinclaire’s. Sometimes she’d come to shift with Thai and we’d have a mini feast in the back room.”

“My dad brought Wells and I there,” Clarke chuckled fondly at the memory before she continued, “There was this time when my mom was out of town for the week for this conference, and it was just my dad and I. My dad had many talents, but cooking was definitely not one of them; Wells was sleeping over, and the three of us were going to make homemade pizza, but my dad burned it to a crisp, thus the trip to get some take out.”

Bellamy snorted, “Your dad and Octavia would get along  _ great. _ ”

He didn’t miss the way she referred to her dad in the past tense, or how she shrunk into her seat a little at that, a mist growing over her eyes for a moment. He wanted to bring it up, to offer her some comfort, but she recovered quickly and he didn’t want to push her.

Once they got their Thai take out, they hopped back into his truck, Bellamy told her about this great look out spot where they could sit in the back of his truck and eat their food. She was onboard with it, and off they went. When they got there, Bellamy pulled out the clean blankets he usually kept in his trunk and laid them out in the back of his truck so they could sit and eat their dinner with a view of the city lights in front of them. 

“You were right,” Clarke said as she grabbed the bottle of wine and leaned back against the trunk with Bellamy. “This is definitely more our style.”

“I felt like I was suffocating in that restaurant,” Bellamy shook his head, laughing dryly. “It was a nice place,”  _ maybe  _ too  _ nice for him,  _ “But it felt like-”

“Like if you ordered the wrong thing or mispronounced something, the floor would swallow you up?” 

“Exactly.”

“Yep, I’ve been there before,” She sighed. “There were these campaign parties I’d go to with my parents. My parents were close to Jaha - that’s how Wells and I knew each other since we were kids - they supported him during his campaign, helped him become chancellor. Wells and I would have to suffer through those boring dinners and parties together.”

“Sounds like fun,” Bellamy deadpanned. “Are your guys’ parents still close?”

“No,” Clarke shook her head. “Well, my mom kind of is, but they don’t talk as much as they used to.”

Bellamy hesitated for a moment before he finally brought it up, “And your dad?”

She picked at a loose string on the seam of the blanket, “My dad and Jaha were best friends, but um, that - My dad -” She stumbled over her words and stopped to clear her throat before lifting her head to meet his eyes. “My dad passed away almost four years ago. He was an electrical engineer, and there was this accident …” 

She trailed off and he reached over and took her hand, squeezing it, “I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago,” She repeated the same words he had said that night in the coffee shop, and he felt his heart swell even more. “My mom and I weren’t ever really the same after that, though. She kept herself busy with her work, and I … Well, I had Wells, and art, too. My mom and I never talked about it and it strained our relationship, but even after all that’s happened and we’re not the same anymore, I guess I still don’t want to disappoint her.”

“That’s why you haven’t given up on pre-med,” He questioned and she nodded her head, no longer meeting his eyes. Words his mother said all those years ago came rushing back to him, and he let his head drop for a moment as he considered them. “After my mom helped me that night Octavia told her about the fight, she said something to me that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. She told me,  _ ‘She’s your sister, your responsibility. I get that. But it’s not your responsibility to see us through, that’s my job. You can’t always take care of her, sometimes you have to do what’s best for you and let her learn on her own.’ _ ”

“Of course, I didn’t really take it to heart that much back then, and O kicked my ass for it,” Bellamy recalled all the times his little sister flipped out at him for wanting to protect her and even though he didn’t see it at the time, looking back he knew he  _ was  _ a little much sometimes. “But she’s grown up now, she’s learning on her own and I’m watching from the sidelines. It was hard adjusting to that change, and I’m still figuring it out. But this was all just a long way of saying that you have to do what’s best for  _ you,  _ Clarke. Not your mom. This is your life you’re talking about, not hers. And if she disagrees, well, she’s gonna have to suck it up and learn too.”

Bellamy could see that Clarke was pondering over what he had just said, and he took a chug from the bottle of wine to cool his own nerves. He wasn’t normally one to talk about his emotions so deeply, but it was easy with Clarke. He trusted her, he  _ wanted  _ her to know.

“Abigail Griffin may be a top-notch surgeon, but  _ I’m  _ in charge of my own life,” Clarke concluded her thoughts confidently. 

“Damn right, Princess,” Bellamy bumped her shoulder with his and she scoffed at his new nickname for her, yet grinned broadly at him.

“And hey, for the record,” She bumped his shoulder back and he looked up and caught her heavy gaze. “Your sister will come around one day and see how special you are, and how much you sacrificed. You have a big heart, Bellamy.”

He was lost for words; he was always the one to step up and take care of things and did so without expecting any thanks or  _ anything  _ in return. Not realizing that he was still holding her hand, Clarke gripped it tightly and they stayed in the trance for another moment longer before they broke it and both agreed it was probably time to head back. They gathered their trash and blankets in a comfortable silence, and on the drive back to her apartment, they listened to music through an AUX cord and she teased him for his taste in music 

“I never pictured you as a soft indie music type of guy,” She chortled.

“What did you think I listened to?” He raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know, you’re a bit of an old soul, so country? But you’re also a softie, so maybe a little bit of classic Taylor Swift hits,” She teased and he snorted amusedly. 

“Believe it or not-”

“ _ No way, _ ” She bit back her laughter, clearly knowing where this was already going.

“-I know all the words to  _ Love Story _ ,” He admitted. 

“ _ Oh, my, God.” _

“O went through a phase after her first breakup when she was seventeen, where she listened to her  _ Fearless  _ album  _ religiously _ .”

“You’ve gotta karaoke with me one time,” Clarke’s eyes glistened with tears from laughing so hard and he shook his head vigorously, refusing yet he was chuckling as well.

By the time he pulled up to Clarke’s apartment, they were finally catching their breath again after their laughter died down; Bellamy walked around and helped her step out of his truck in her heels. 

When she stepped down, they were standing so close that he could almost see his reflection in her bright blue eyes and her pupils dilated. They were so close that it wouldn’t take much effort, that if he just leaned his head down the slightest bit and she’d lift herself off the ground on her tiptoes, their lips could meet. His eyes fell to her lips and she had already begun to balance on her toes and he was leaning down, when another car passed them loudly, and they were once again broken from whatever trance they seemed to find themselves in.

They each took a step back, and she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, “I had a good time tonight.”

Bellamy cleared his throat, “Me too. Maybe we could do this again sometime, if you’d want?”

“I’d like that,” Clarke beamed brightly, biting her bottom lip and it took all the self control he had not to stare. “Goodnight, Bellamy,” She stepped forward again and before he could process what was happening, she leaned up and placed a gentle, modest kiss on his cheek before turning and walking into the lobby of her apartment building. She waved at him before she entered through the door, and he smiled back at her, still in a daze.

_ She was going to be the death of him.  _

* * *

When she entered her apartment, Clarke facetimed with Wells again, who enthusiastically listened as Clarke gave him a run down of her date after she changed into sweatpants and a cozy t-shirt.

“- he shared some personal things with me about his mom and his sister-” Wells ‘ _ awww- _ ed’ in the background as she sat down on her bed. “-and I talked to him about Dad, and then he kind of inspired me to do what’s best for me.”

“Clarke Griffin, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“I don’t want to say anything until I do it, I don’t want to spoil it,” He groaned on the other side of the line, and she stuck out her tongue at him.

“I think I know what you’re gonna do, but call me anyways when you do?”

“You’ll be the first to know.”

“Alright, now I do have one question about this date of yours,” He said seriously and Clarke straightened her back and crossed her legs.

“What’s up?”

“Did you guys kiss?”

Clarke hung her head, chuckling at her friend’s devoted interest, “No, we didn’t.”

“ _ Damn. _ ”

“-But we almost did,” She said in a sing-song tone.

“Oh?” 

* * *

Late Saturday afternoon, Clarke practically sprinted from her parked car to Arkadia, adrenaline still coursing through her; she was pleased to see Bellamy there, though he hadn’t noticed her yet. Miller, someone who Clarke saw working there often, saw her and waved at her and nudged at Bellamy until he looked up from the drink he was making. The two silently switched positions from bar and til, and Clarke chuckled quietly as she stepped up to the empty register. 

“Almond milk chai latte?” Bellamy guessed.

Clarke shook her head, “I was thinking something a little stronger.”

“Black coffee?”

“Stronger.”

“Whiskey?” Clarke nodded and he bit his cheek as he teased her, “Well this coffee shop is fresh out of that, but what’s the occasion?”

“A celebration,” She said passively, smirking when Bellamy rolled his eyes sarcastically. 

“Celebration for  _ what,  _ Princess? Don’t leave me hanging.”

“For dropping the whole pre-med act,” She drummed the counter excitedly. “I’ll take on art full-time next semester!” 

“Holy shit-” Bellamy exclaimed.

“-Language!” Monty piped in as he walked from the back, carrying a load of clean dishes.

Bellamy ran around the counter and the two embraced, “Clarke, that’s incredible! Alright, drinks are definitely needed tonight. You doing anything tonight? Let’s out, get some drinks and celebrate!”

“Oh, um, about that,” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Wells is actually on his way from Tondc, I called him after I left my appointment with the program advisors - he’s coming over and we’re already going to go out. Unless he can come with us?”

“Why not? He’s your friend and tonight we’re celebrating for you.”

“In that case, let’s see if your friends want to come too,” Clarke offered and Bellamy smiled widely at her.

“You’re okay with that?”

“Of course, you talk about them all the time and it’ll be nice to actually get to know them outside of them making me coffee all the time,” They both laughed and made plans before Clarke left the coffee shop to get ready for Wells, her heart feeling happier and stronger than ever.

* * *

When Wells arrived in town, they still had a few hours until they were going to meet up with Bellamy and his friends at the bar, so the two friends spent their time catching up and going out for dinner at their favorite burger drive-in, before they went back to her place to get ready. Deciding to keep it casual - which Wells wiggled his eyebrows at and she smacked his chest - she wore a simple black V-neck and dark blue jeans. 

“You ready yet?” Wells leaned against the bathroom door frame, tapping at his watch playfully. 

“Almost, stop pestering me,” She glared at him through her reflection in the mirror as she finished touching up her mascara, and he laughed. Wells threw on his black bomber jacket, Clarke slid her feet into her ankle boots and out they went. 

They walked to the bar, since it was just down a couple blocks from her apartment, and before they went inside, Clarke took a deep breath.

“Hey,” Wells bumped his elbow to hers and she looked up at him. “Don’t be nervous.”

“I’m not nervous,” Clarke scoffed and the corner of his lips quirked. They went inside together, and she looked around the bar, scanning the area for Bellamy. When they spotted each other, he smiled and waved them over before standing up to meet them halfway. He brought Clarke in for a half-hug and then shook hands with Wells.

“Glad you could make it,” He smiled as he led them over to the table where everyone she recognized from the coffee shop was sitting down at.

“I wouldn’t miss celebrating Clarke sticking up to her mom for  _ anything, _ ” Wells said. “I’ve been rooting for this for _ ever. _ ”

Bellamy chuckled as they reached the table and cleared his throat, “Guys, most of you probably know Clarke by now,” the ones she recognized from Arkadia all greeted her and she smiled at them. “This is her friend, Wells. Wells, meet the crew.”

“Hey,” Wells nodded, smiling at each of them until his eyes fell on Monty. “Uh, hey,” He cleared his throat and before he could say another word, Clarke patted his shoulder and he sat down in the empty seat beside Monty, leaving Clarke and Bellamy to take the two empty seats beside each other and they ordered their drinks.

“Hey, Raven, right?” Clarke asked the girl beside her, feeling only slightly awkward now that she was casually hanging out with the people who serve her coffee on a regular basis. 

“The one and only,” A guy on the other side of Raven leaned over the table, but Raven elbowed him back into his seat.

“Sure am,” Raven smiled and then gestured to the guy on her right with her thumb. “The doofus is Murphy,” Murphy scoffed in feigned offence. “His girlfriend, Emori - who’s a total babe by the way, we all love her - is beside him, uhhh the rest do you know yet?” She asked as she glanced around the table, counting heads and clearly trying to figure out who Clarke knew or not. 

Before she could respond, a man sitting by Miller leaned over the table and held out his hand. “I’m Eric, Miller’s boyfriend.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Clarke smiled kindly.

“All good things, I hope,” He made a face and Clarke laughed.

“Oh please, I doubt anyone’s ever talked trash about you, you’re a  _ saint, _ ” Murphy emphasized with his hands.

“-Unlike you, you little shit,” Miller muttered into his beer, casting him a playful glare.

“I heard that,” Murphy rolled his eyes.

“Bellamy leaned on his elbow as the friends continued to banter, “Is it just me or did Wells seem a little …  _ thrown off? _ ”

“Oh, there’s definitely something happening,” Clarke quirked her eyebrows and looked over at her friend, who had already sparked a lively conversation with Monty. Bellamy smiled again, the one that reached his eyes and once again, Clarke was struck with the thought that no one should be able to wear glasses and look  _ that  _ good. 

“So wait, Clarke, Bell said you dropped med school?” Emori leaned back in her seat so they could make eye contact.

“It was only pre-med, but yeah I dropped it,” Clarke nodded.

“Why?” Raven tilted her head, her ponytail falling over her shoulder.

“It wasn’t for me,” Clarke shrugged as she cradled her drink in her hands as she summarized. “Overbearing mom made me do it.”

“ _ But not anymore! _ ” Wells, who had somehow already reached the tipsy stage, bellowed happily from the other side of the table.

“But not anymore,” Clarke laughed as she echoed her friend. “I decided I wanted to give my art a chance.”

“Good for you,” Raven elbowed her lightly, flashing her a bright grin in encouragement.

“Overbearing parents are the  _ worst, _ ” Jasper groaned as his face fell into his hands, the goggles he wore on his head falling onto his eyes.

“How much have you had to drink already?” Bellamy asked as he patted his friend on the back and Clarke tried to hide her smile at the parently compassion he held for his friend. 

“Only a little,” Jasper shrugged but the slurring of his words failed him and Bellamy snorted. 

Bellamy and Clarke leaned back in their seats, their drinks in their hands as they talked to their friends, and Clarke did not miss the way he casually had his arm slung around the back of her chair, or the way her heart fluttered before it started to beat rapidly; things were so different than they were just a few short weeks ago, and it was all still changing. But as she got comfortable as she leaned into his side, laughing at something Murphy had said, she knew it wasn’t at all bad. 

By the end of the night, it no longer felt like her pocket universe was confined to only Wells and Bellamy - she had connected with all of them, and she felt relieved that they all got along. They all made their way outside, most of them getting a ride with Eric or Emori, who were the two designated drivers for that night. They stepped outside and Clarke said goodnight to the others as they piled into the cars - Raven and Emori hugging her, and Murphy patting her back - and Clarke turned around to the remaining two.

“Ready to go?” She asked Wells.

“Ready whenever you are,” He nodded, his eyes slightly unfocused from one too many drinks.

“How are you getting home?” She turned to Bellamy and he dangled his truck keys off his finger.

“I only had that one beer when you guys arrived,” He held up his hands defensively when she raised an interrogative eyebrow at him. “I’m in a totally capable position to drive. How are you two getting home, though?”

“We’re walking back to my place,” Clarke linked her arm through her friends’. “It’s just down a couple blocks, we’ll make it in ten minutes.”

Bellamy shook his head, a slight smirk on his lips as he unlocked his trunk. “Hop in.”

Clarke sighed, staring him down stubbornly until she knew that he wasn’t going to give that one up. She relented when Wells swayed into her, still tipsy, and she laughed as she helped her friend into the middle seat of the truck. As they drove down the road, Wells rested his head on her shoulder as he scrolled through his phone, showing her photos that he had taken over the night and proudly announcing that he got Monty’s number. When they turned a corner, Wells swerved with it and his head dramatically fell onto Bellamy’s, making all three of them laugh.

“Looks like someone had a good night,” Bellamy chuckled after he helped Clarke get Wells out of the truck and she supported most of Wells’ weight as they slowly walked up the front steps to her apartment building.

“We both did,” Clarke smiled with flushed cheeks as she turned around when she reached the top of the stairs. 

Bellamy let out a relieved sigh, his eyes falling to her lips and she felt the urge to let Wells go and run back down the stairs to  _ finally  _ let her lips meet his, but resisted and before she could give it a second thought, Bellamy ran his hand through his hair, “You sure you got him?”

“Yeah, I’ve got it covered,” She said nonchalantly. “Thank you for the drive, and for celebrating with us. I really like your friends.”

“Yeah? They didn’t make you want to go insane or anything yet?”

Clarke laughed, “Not yet,” She bit her bottom lip before reaching into her purse to grab her keys. “Well, um, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Bellamy nodded, a warm look she couldn’t quiet place filling his eyes, “See you tomorrow.” He waited until she was inside the building and went into the elevator before she heard his truck engine. 

* * *

Three weeks passed since that first night at the bar, and Clarke couldn’t remember the last time she felt this happy. She had gone on a couple more dates with Bellamy, their relationship growing, even though they hadn’t kissed yet (much to her - and Wells’ - disappointment); she went out for drinks with all his friends every Friday night. She had finally met his little sister Octavia, when she went over for dinner at his place the week before. Though she was a little cold and wary towards Clarke at the start of the night, she had gradually warmed up to her and even hugged her goodnight. 

Marucs Kane, both Bellamy’s boss and a member of the city council, found out about Clarke being an aspiring artist and told her of a few possible opportunities that she could do, such as a mural for the schools. As for her relationship with her mother, well, things were still tense after Clarke broke the news to her that she dropped pre-med - her mother didn’t speak to her for almost a week, but when she saw that Clarke was serious about it, she gave her a phone call saying she just needed time to process it all but that she did love her art, which warmed her heart. 

The seemingly endless bliss came to a halting stop one Friday night, however, when Clarke went to Bellamy’s apartment before they would go out to meet everyone for drinks later and she immediately sensed something was off. When she asked him about it, he shrugged it off and she went back to helping him prep their dinner, not wanting to push him if he wasn’t ready to talk about it, but it was still irking her; they ate in silence, until Clarke couldn’t handle it anymore.

“Bellamy,  _ what  _ is going on?” She questioned, reaching for his hand and squeezing it lightly but he didn’t return the gesture. “You’ve been acting weird all night.”

“It’s fine, Clarke,” He shrugged it off, but she persisted.

“Is it something I did?”

“No,” His eyes snapped up from his plate at that, squeezing her hand this time.

She sighed, “If you don’t want to talk about whatever it is that’s bothering you, I get that, but don’t push me out, that’s not like you.”

“I’m fine, it’s just-” Bellamy sniffed, another nervous tic of his, not meeting her eyes. “Look, Clarke, you wouldn’t get it, alright?”

She wanted to scoff, thinking that was  _ the  _ most ridiculous thing she had heard - and considering she had once heard Wells drunkenly karaoke to the Spice Girls,  _ that  _ was saying something. Instead, she took a deep breath, letting go of his hand and letting her hands drop into his lap. 

“Then help me understand,” She insisted. “Bellamy, whatever it is, we can get through it  _ together _ .”

Bellamy relented and finally met her eyes, and she saw the hesitation in them before he started to open up, “Got my paycheck today.”

“Okay,” Clarke enunciated.

“And it wasn’t what I was expecting, because of those sick days,” He placed his elbow on the table and rested his forehead in the palm of his hand; a week and a half ago, Bellamy went down with a fever and had to take most of the week off work to get better. “I  _ knew  _ it would affect my paycheck, even though it was the right thing to do, but now that I’ve got it, it’s just stressing me out.”

“Bell, we can-”

“No, Clarke, see? You don’t get it,” He stood up from his chair, running his hand through his hair again anxiously. “I know you mean well, but you  _ don’t  _ know what it’s like, not with the way you were raised.”

“So now you’re going to make it about that?” Clarke stood up, growing more frustrated.

“Your parents were  _ rich, _ Clarke, you didn’t have to grow up worrying about money or having to see your only parent stressed over how she was going to afford groceries or to pay bills. And right now, I really don’t need to hear the prep talk about how ‘ _ everything is going to be okay, _ ’ because I can barely think properly right now and I just need to  _ be  _ stressed,” He ranted, throwing his hands around angrily as he paced the kitchen. 

“No, you don’t get to do that. Don’t make this about how I was brought up, because that’s bullshit and you know it,” Clarke snapped, walking up to him so their toes were almost touching. “It’s fine to be worried about bills, everyone does - I do too, because believe or not, I’m not some princess living off her mommy’s money. I take care of myself and worked my ass off to be who and where I am today, and so have you. Stress about it all you want, you know you have me and a bunch of friends who would help you out if you’d just let someone help you for once without being an ass about it!”

Even though she could tell he was thinking it over, she also knew he was never one to back down from an argument since he was just as stubborn as she was, “I’m not about to become some charity case, Princess.”

“Fine, then cut back on some other things and sacrifice to make it work-”

“ _ I’ve been making sacrifices  _ all  _ my life! _ ”

Clarke nodded, angry tears blinding her as she grabbed her keys and wallet off his kitchen island, sliding her shoes onto her feet while Bellamy watched, silently brewing.

She opened the door, wanting to give him space to think and herself needing time to cool down, but before she walked out, she turned around to see him still standing in the kitchen, lost in his own thoughts.

“There’s nothing wrong with needing help or just needing time to stress and process everything, Bellamy. But don’t let this one shitty paycheck be what gets in between us.”

Then she left, closing the door behind her.

* * *

It had been four days.

Four long, excruciating days since he had last seen or talked to her, and it was driving him insane.

That Friday, after their fight, Bellamy went out with his friends still, needing a drink but hated having to explain what happened between them when Raven asked where Clarke was.

It was now Tuesday night, Bellamy, Miller and Raven were working that night together and had just closed the shop and were tackling their closing chores - and there was still no word from Clarke. 

“You could, I don’t know, try talking to her?” Raven suggested sarcastically while they carried clean mugs and fresh milk jugs out to the front together.

“I don’t think she really wants to speak to me right now,” Bellamy nudged his glasses that had slipped down his nose after he finished putting away the milk jugs.

“True, you were a bit of an ass,” She noted aloud to herself and he shot her a glare from the corner of his eye. “Just saying! I mean, yeah, she screwed up too, but you really did as well.”

“Yeah, thanks,” he huffed sarcastically. “I don’t even know what I would say.”

“ _ ‘Hey Clarke, sorry I was an ass. I love you and my friends are going crazy with my moping around? _ ’” Miller, who was filling the machines with fresh espresso beans, offered and now it was him who Bellamy glowered at. “Just a suggestion.”

“I don’t mope,” Bellamy muttered.

“Better figure it out quick,” Raven said slyly as she walked to the front door, stopping for a moment to scratch her leg under her brace. She unlocked it and stepped aside to let Clarke walk in and escape the rain that was pouring down. She was collapsing her umbrella and saying something to Raven and clearly hadn’t noticed that he was standing there, dumbfounded behind the counter. He was brought back to reality when Miller slapped his shoulder supportively.

“Raven invited her over?” Bellamy turned on his friend. He wasn’t really upset - he had been planning on asking Clarke out for something to drink where they could talk, but when he saw her just now, his stomach leapt in anticipation. 

“ _ We  _ did - Monty including,” He chuckled when Bellamy exclaimed. “You’re miserable, man. Talk it out, Raven and I will be in the back,” He looked behind Bellamy, nodding to Raven and the two walked into the back room, Raven smiling smugly at him before she turned the corner. 

Bellamy pivoted on his feet to finally face Clarke, who was still standing in the middle of the cafe, their eyes meeting for just a moment before she dropped it and kept her eyesight on the floor. 

“Hey,” He shuffled his weight on his feet.

“Hey,” She repeated back to him, still avoiding his gaze.

He sighed and nervously wiped his hands on his apron, getting any remaining coffee grounds off before he slowly stepped around the counter.

“Clarke, I-”

“It’s been four days, Bellamy,” She said suddenly, snapping her eyes up to his.

“I know.”

“Four days,” She shook her head. “I’ve done a lot of thinking these last few days,” She said simply.

“Yeah?” He asked, leading her on to continue.

“Yeah,” She took a hesitant step forward. “Like how you were a total ass to bring up my parents,” He made a face as he titled his head in agreement. “But it was also wrong for me to push you to talk about it when you clearly weren’t ready to. I get that finances are a touchy subject for you, and I disregarded that and pushed-”

“No,” He shook his head reverently as he took a step towards her. “If I didn’t want to talk about it, I wouldn’t have, I would’ve changed the subject. I wanted to talk to you about it, because I  _ want  _ to share these kinds of things with you, even if they are hard for me to talk about. I’ve just never talked about these things with many people before, especially not with someone like you, who genuinely wanted to hear me out, and I lashed out.”

“Bellamy, I want to know these things because I  _ care  _ about you. I trust you and want to be the person you can come to about those type of things, but you don’t ever have to force yourself to open up-”

He cut off her spiraling thoughts again as he took a few more steps closer to her so they were close enough that their toes were touching, much like how she had stepped forward to him in his kitchen four nights ago.

“I trust you too, Clarke. You’re that person for me, ever since that first night you stayed past closing. Aside from my little sister, I didn’t think I could care for someone as much as I do for you, and then I spilled a pot of coffee on you.”

Clarke’s head fell down to her chest, hiding her bright smile as she laughed.

He used his thumb and index finger to tilt her chin back up so he could meet her blue eyes again.

“I want to make this work, Bellamy, but I meant what I said. We can’t let a shitty paycheck or even poor communication be what breaks us apart - you mean too much to me, for me to let that happen.”

“I’m sorry,” He said in a quiet whisper, and her eyes grew soft.

“I’m sorry, too. But we can get through this, I know we can.”

“Yeah, you’re too damn stubborn for it to be otherwise,” He teased and her beautiful, contagious laugh rang in his ears again, making his heart swell even more. Before she could retort or change the subject, he cupped her face and finally brought his lips down to meet hers. 

She didn’t respond for a moment, making Bellamy wonder if he overstepped a boundary, but when her lips started to move against his and her fingers slipped into his hair, gripping onto his curls, he smiled into the kiss and felt her do the same.

He broke the kiss momentarily to once again look into her eyes seriously as he told her, “I love you.”

She beamed brighter than the sun, tears building up in the corners of her eyes, “I love you too.”

They only broke apart when they heard claps echo through from the backroom, and they turned with their arms still wrapped around each other, to see Miller whistling with his fingers in his mouth and Raven whooping as she held her phone up, the camera facing them until she turned it around to show that she was on a facetime call with Wells.

“ _ Well it’s about time! God!”  _ Wells shouted through the screen and they all burst into laughter, before they went back into the very back to give the couple some space.

“I’m guessing Wells wanted to come down here at some point this week to beat my ass?” He asked into her ear.

She nodded, “I convinced him not to.”

He grinned, leaning down to kiss her sweetly before he pulled back, “We probably shouldn’t keep them cooped up in the back. What do you say we make ourselves something to drink before I close the bar down and we can go back to my place?”

The smile never fell from her lips as she bit her bottom lip and repeated the same words she had when he asked her out for their first date, “I would love that.”

He opened his mouth to ask if she’d want her usual chai latte with almond milk, but his excitement from the past few minutes got the best of him and he stammered over his words.

“Wow, do I make you nervous, Blake?” She teased and once again, he was reminded of  _ that  _ day.

_ Yeah, there was no doubt about it - she was definitely the right one for him _

“Can you really blame me, Princess?” 

  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Epilogue

_ [Three months later] _

Clarke woke up the smell of fresh coffee.

She rolled around in his bed, reaching her arm out to find his space empty and she frowned into the pillow. Grabbing her phone off the bedside table, she looked at the time and saw several messages from Kane, no doubt with more projects for her, art commission requests online, a message from her mom, and a Snapchat from Wells. 

She opened the Snapchat from Wells first, laughing when she saw a selfie of him and Monty from that morning, reading “ _ bet you’re not the only one who had a good night.” _

Next, she read the message from her mom, asking her if she and Bellamy wanted to go over for dinner sometime that week.

She typed back a few quick responses before she put her phone down and laid back down. Smiling proudly at how much things had changed in the last few months and how much her relationship with her mother had improved since she stood up for herself, she felt immeasurably thankful and  _ free. _

She was shaken from her thoughts when Bellamy propped the door open with his elbow while he carried in two mugs of fresh coffee.

“Ah, so  _ that’s  _ where you went,” She grinned up at him, taking a sip of the coffee before she placed her mug on the bedside table. “Home made coffee in bed?”

“Nothing but the best for the Princess,” He said sarcastically, that smug smirk on his lips as he bent down to kiss her.

“It’s cold without you, get back under here,” She lifted the blanket up for him to crawl under, and he did so but not without another royalty remark.

“As you wish, Princess.”

“Oh God, enough with the princess comments,” She groaned, trying to come off as annoyed, but if she was being honest to herself, she secretly enjoyed it but she would never tell him that. 

“Not a chance,” He wrapped his arm around her waist as she settled her back to his chest, and planted another kiss on her temple.

So much had changed in the recent months - she had met someone who made her unbelievably happy and challenged her, she started to pursue her art, her relationship with her mother got significantly better, her pocket universe expanded from more than just her friendship with Wells - now she had Wells  _ and  _ this group of delinquents who she would do anything for and who she knows would do anything for her. 

And she had not only Bellamy, but the small coffee shop of Arkadia to thank for that.

**_The end._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being a part of this ride! Hope you enjoyed reading it almost as much as I did writing it!  
> It only took me like, nine months to get around to finally writing lol but it was fun.  
> Here's to these beloved characters getting the happy endings they deserve in season 7!!


End file.
